Chapter 2 - The Wild Crowd

Cyan and Kala stayed on Akala Island for one night so that they didn't exhaust themselves by going through all of Alola in one day. Akala Island is where the two spent a lot of their time when they traveled initially, as four of Cyan's trials were on the island. It was where he caught his Salandit and Oranguru. He also evolved Rockruff into Lycanroc. And both of them performed the first ever Z-Moves there. It was a sentimental place for them. However, he knew that he couldn't stay there and reminisce forever. He had to keep gathering all of his Pokémon.

ULA'ULA ISLAND

They rode the bus up Mount Hokulani, the place where Cyan first caught his Graveler. When he traveled there almost five years ago, the road was dirt and the ride was bumpy. Now, it was smooth, and Cyan felt like he could sleep if he wanted to.

However, he was still fascinated with the views in Alola, and even though he had seen everything once before, he loved reliving the memories.

Eventually, the bus stopped at the Hokulani Observatory. Cyan and Kala got off and started a small trek back down the mountain. They weren't quite sure where to look, but they knew that if they found construction, they'd find Golem. Cyan had to find Golem before Golem found him, because he knew that a surprise hug from the Rock-type would probably crush his bones.

And in no time, they found a set of cones and destroyed concrete. However, there was no sign of any Pokémon.

Cyan put his hands on his hips. "Well, what now?"

"How about you try calling him?"

"I don't have his number."

"No, I mean shouting. No one is around, so you won't look crazy. He's sure to come if you call!"

Cyan wasn't positive, but after some thought, he cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted, "Golem! Golem! Where are ya, buddy?"

He paused, and there was no immediate response. Cyan shrugged and then looked back at Kala. Then, the ground started to rumble. At first, it was barely noticable, but within only a few seconds, it became violent. Cyan held out his hands while he tried to find balance, and Vulpix pushed her body up against his legs.

"Golem!" a voice called from afar.

Cyan and Kala looked up the mountain, finding his large Pokémon standing on a cliff. Behind him were dozens of smaller Rock-type Pokémon. Golem smiled at Cyan and then started to roll down the hill, barrelling through any rocks in his way. He didn't slow down as he got closer, and Cyan's eyes widened as his life flashed before his eyes. Inches before Golem would run over and crush his trainer, he stopped and popped his head out. His arms were too small to hug, but he happily rubbed his head against Cyan.

"It's good to see you too," Cyan said as sweat dripped from his face.

Golem's gang collected behind him. The leader turned and said a few things, and the Geodude and Graveler all cheered. They came in closer and surrounded Cyan and Kala.

"Are they gonna eat us?" Cyan wondered jokingly.

"I'm sure that Golem talks about you all the time. They're just glad to finally meet you," Kala explained.

"Golem, I'm glad to meet your gang too!" Cyan said. "Actually, I have a job for all of you, if you're not too busy with construction, that is."

"Golem-go," the Pokémon responded while stroking his thick beard. He was listening.

"It doesn't pay well, but I'll be sure to make it worth your while!"

MELEMELE ISLAND

Cyan had finally collected all of his Pokémon, and he requested that Kala talk to her mother about the battle. He was sure that she'd accept, but he still had some nerves that she'd be too busy.

In the meantime, he spent his time on the beach with his Pokémon. He didn't play, but rather talked with them and allowed them all to catch up with one another.

One night, he made a campfire, and his Pokémon circled it. He looked at each one of them, considering his options for the battle.

"Venusaur, Primarina, Lycanroc, Salazzle, Oranguru, Golem, Vulpix, Typhlosion, Butterfree, Kabutops, Slowking, and Urshifu. You're all so strong. I'm not sure what to do," Cyan said. "Oranguru, you're retired, so I won't put that kind of pressure on you."

Oranguru tapped his chest and grinned as though to say, "I'd still battle if you asked me to, but thanks for not asking."

"Then, there are some of you that I feel like I have to ask to join me. You'd be offended, right?"

Venusaur and Urshifu looked at one another and then nodded.

"Apparently, Kaarina has a Kommo-o and an Incineroar. I think that if we get lucky, we can fight them with an advantange," Cyan said while looking at his Primarina. He put his hands to his head and ran his fingers through his black hair. "I don't know what to do! I've never had to do this before!"

"Struggling?" Aoi asked from behind. She held two icecream cones in her hands. She handed one to Oranguru and then smiled as she indulged in the other one. "Don't think too hard. Go with your gut."

"My gut wants ice cream."

"Too bad. You should know that Kala called. Kaarina has accepted your challenge. The Manalo Conference will be over in a few days. Once all of that winds down, you'll be free to battle. They need to get the logistics figured out, but it looks like you'll battle on Mount Lanakila. In a few days, someone from the press will come here, and you'll have to make your statement," Aoi said. She sat down next to Cyan and offered him a bite of her ice cream. He was one second too slow, and she pulled away. She licked her ice cream and then continued. "You should know, this is gonna be a very annoying couple of weeks."

"We can't just battle and call it good?"

"Think about how important this is for the people of Alola. You were awarded the title of champion sort of postumously," Aoi said, unsure of if she wa using the word correctly. "There's an air of mystery around you, and many don't think you deserve that title."

Cyan shrugged. "I don't think I earned that title."

"But you still want to prove yourself, yeah? Otherwise, why'd you go through all of the trouble to train and get stronger?"

"You think I stand a chance?"

"I don't think that I could beat Kaarina. In all of our sparring sesssions, she's destroyed me. If you truly want to win, you're gonna have to give it one-hundred fifty percent. You can't spend the next few weeks relaxing on the beach. You have to train harder than you ever have."

Cyan sighed and looked at his Pokémon.

The next few days went by quickly, and the Manalo Conference finished. Cyan watched it on television, and within an hour of the winner being decided, Cyan's doorbell rang. He got up from his small sofa and answered the door, finding a tall man with slicked back hair and glasses. The man held a microphone in his hand, and a man with a camera stood behind him.

"Are you Cyan Kokura?" the man asked.

Cyan nodded. "Yeah. Who-"

Before Cyan could continue, the man barged into his house. He took Cyan by the shoulders and directed him at the cameraman. "This is Ron Hale here with ex-champion, Cyan Kokura. We're coming at you live with a special announcement!"

"Live?!" Cyan wondered. He was in his pajamas with banana-print, and his black hair was a mess.

"Yes, live! What is it that you would like to tell Alola, no, the whole world?"

Cyan looked at the camera, and he could feel millions of eyes looking back at him. "I-uh. I. The whole world?"

"Well? What is it?"

Cyan took in a deep breath and stood up straight. "I'd like to challenge Kaarina Māhoe to a battle. I'd like to prove myself worthy of being the first ever Alolan champion!"

The reporter pretended to be shocked. He was clearly tipped off by Aoi. "Did you hear that, folks? It looks like the intense battles in Alola aren't quite set to come to an end just yet! We here on Alola 7 will continue to keep you updated on this news story! Cyan, before we go, do you have any kind of message you'd like say to all of your adoring fans?"

Cyan looked up at the reporter. He had no idea what he was talking about, and Aoi warning him about the annoyances that were to come had started to make sense. "Don't do drugs?"

"An inspiration!" the reporter exclaimed.

Cyan wanted to spend the remaining time that he had before his battle training with his Pokémon, but anytime that he left the house, reporters were waiting for him with questions. He tried to go to a different island, but they followed. If he went to the beach to relax, people would ask for photos nonstop. He was starting to think that he'd not get to rest before his battle, and he could feel himself getting more and more irritated with every question.

"How are you preparing for the battle?"

"Is it true that you went to space?"

"What will you wear the day of?"

"Did you meet any aliens?"

"What kind of Pokémon do you think Kaarina will use?"

"Are you actually one-fourth Alolan?"

"Is it true that you came face to face with Necrozma?"

Cyan paused at the last question, and his face became white.

With only a week left until their battle, Aoi organized a media scrum at the city office in Hau'oli City. She knew that it would be a chance for most reporters to get in their questions, and then they'd possibly leave him alone. However, with the reporter bringing up Necrozma, she could see panic in her brother's black eyes.

"That's enough questions," Aoi said, forcing her way to the front of the podium. "My brother has to prepare for his battle. I'll be taking over as his coach and representative. If you have any more questions, you ask me. Leave him alone for the time being."

There were a few more flashes of light from cameras, but the reporters now understood that they weren't going to get any new scoops. Slowly, they left the media scrum until it was just Cyan, Aoi, and their mother.

"You alright?" Aoi asked.

"I don't like thinking about it," Cyan said. He could see glimpses of Necrozma when he closed his eyes. "But, it's just something that I'll have to deal with."

"Maybe you'll get more time to train. Don't overwork yourself right now, though," his mother suggested.

"Excuse me. I have one more question," a voice called from the side.

Aoi turned around and glared, but her body language changed when she saw who was talking.

It was a scrawny man wearing a lab coat and green gloves. He wore light green goggles, and his blonde hair was slicked back.

"Faba?" Aoi asked. "It's nice to see you here."

"Likewise."

"Have things calmed down now that the conference is over?" Aoi asked. "Cyan, this is Faba from the Aether Foundation. He's a wellknown scientist in Alola."

Cyan had only encountered the Aether Foundation a few times on his journey, including the first time that he met his sickly Vulpix. They seemed like a nice organization, and Cyan knew that they had done a lot to help Alola grow over the past few years. However, the man that stood before him gave off a vibe that he was eerily familiar with. It made him uncomfortable.

"What's your question?" Aoi asked.

"Well, not necessarily a question," Faba stated. "Cyan, I wanted to tell you that I study ultra space. I'd like to know as much about it as possible. If you'd ever like to come to the Aether Foundation, you are more than welcome to. You can use that time to relax and share your story with me." He smiled, and Cyan had to do everything in his power to not recoil.

"I will think about it. It's not necessarily something that I'd like to relive," Cyan said.

"Of course, but it's something to think about," Faba said before adjusting his goggles. "For science."

Cyan shivered.

Aoi grabbed both of Cyan's shoulders and then turned him away. "Well, it was nice to see you Faba! But, we're off to Mount Lanakila. We'll be staying at my suite, and Cyan will be privately training with me for a few days."

"Good luck, Mr. Kokura."

And the siblings did just that.

Mount Lanakila was much colder than any other place that Cyan was used to. Even in Galar, he could manage with a long-sleeved shirt. But the winds were strong on Mount Lanakila, and Cyan didn't like training on the open battlefield.

He knew that he'd have to get used to it though, as it'd be where his battle would take place. The heat of battle and the literal heat that the crowd would bring would keep him distracted.

But no matter how much he trained and thought over his team, he felt like it wasn't enough. Every minute, hour, and day that passed went by like a blur, and before Cyan knew it, the day had come. He woke up on the futon that he had been sleeping on at his sister's Elite Four suite. He slowly sat up and put his face in his hands. He had only a few hours left to prepare. There wasn't much else that he could do.

He looked at the six Poké Balls that he had selected and connected them to his belt. He put the belt down on the ground and then yawned. He knew that his Pokémon were strong, and his natural battling capabilities were above average. However, he had no idea what to expect when it came to his opponent.

"You ready?" Aoi asked as she opened the door only slightly. "Wearing pants?"

"What? Is it time already?"

"For breakfast, yeah!" Aoi said. She pushed the door open and handed Cyan a plate of pancakes that were drenched in different kinds of fruits. "Hurry up and eat. Your Golem and his crew are already here. They're ready to go, but I'm not sure if they can keep that kind of energy up. Also, the line of people at the gate is almost as long as the mountain. This is going to be much different than anything else I've ever seen."

Cyan smiled as he ate his pancakes. "I have many more surprises for you!"

Cyan finished his breakfast and put on his white cargo shorts and a pink sweater. He made sure that his white baseball hat with the BayStaryu emblem was nice and clean. He had second thoughts about wearing the white hat because he knew that he'd soon be covered with smoke and explosions. But it was his favorite hat. It'd be rude to not bring it along with him. He put on the hat and then left the suite.

Outside of the stadium waited Golem and his gang. Cyan ran to his old Pokémon and gave it a hug. He could feel his hair stand up from the static, but he ignored it. He pulled back and put his hands on his hips.

"Now, I know that you're upset that you can't battle with me today," Cyan stated. "However, I have a very important job for you! Arguably, it's more important that being in the battle."

Golem was curious.

"You see, most everyone that is coming is a fan of Kaarina. My mom and sister are the only spectators that are here for me. That's where you and your crew come in!"

"Golem?"

"I watched a few battles on television when I was in Galar, and the crowds there were so fun. I want you guys to be loud and have a good time! Of course, you can cheer whoever you want, but I'll take any support I can get," Cyan said. "You think you can be the rowdy crowd that I need?"

Golem turned to look at his gang. "Golem-go?"

The group of Rock-type Pokémon then erupted into cheers.

"Welcome one and all to this special presentation! My name is DJ Ross, and I'll be your commentator for this evening!" a skinny man with a pencil-thin mustache and a cowboy hat yelled into a microphone for the television audience. "Joining me on color commentating duties is the Island Kahuna from Melemele Island, Hala! Say hi, Hala!"

"It's good to be here, Ross! This is Alola's first-ever championship battle, so it's sure to go in the record books as something special!" Hala said with a smile. He awkwardly held up a peace sign.

"The following battle will be a full, six-on-six, championship battle between the challenger, Cyan Kokura, and current champion, Kaarina Māhoe. Neither side will be allowed to substitute, and the battle will be decided when all Pokémon on one side are defeated," the referee announced into his microphone. "Trainers, are you ready?"

"Ready."

"Ready."

"Let's begin!"

Author's Notes: My internet has been out at my house, so I haven't had the chance to post up recently (and then I've been playing like crazy). This chapter was kind of difficult to write. I wanted to show that Cyan is unsure of how to handle the pressure of the upcoming battle (specifically the media portion). And I wanted to flash forward a lot with this chapter, because I know that every time I have an upcoming event, it seems to come faster than expected.

We're finally getting to the battle. Strap in for three chapters of one of the best battles I've ever written.